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Friday, August 24, 2018

Oklahoma judge resigns after holding more than 200 people in contempt since 2016

An
Oklahoma judge has agreed to resign after he was accused of using his contempt
powers to jail people for infractions such as leaving sunflower seeds in his
courtroom and talking in court, reported the ABA Journal. Judge Curtis DeLapp resigned Monday and agreed
to never again seek judicial office, report the Washington
Post, the Frontier (in stories here and here), NewsOK and
the Bartlesville
Examiner-Enterprise.

DeLapp,
who will be allowed to keep his retirement benefits, said he was prioritizing
his family. “It is with a heavy heart but clear conscience that I announce my
resignation,” DeLapp said in a statement.
He had presided over cases in Washington and Nowata counties as a district
judge. petition for removal alleged that DeLapp has ordered people jailed in
more than 200 direct contempt citations since 2016.

The
petition, filed by Oklahoma Chief Justice Douglas Combs, alleged gross neglect
of duty and oppression in office.The petition also alleged that DeLapp altered
documents to justify the six-month jail term he gave to a woman for talking in
his courtroom.

On March 5, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ordered
the immediate release of the woman, Randa Ludlow, and voided DeLapp’s contempt
order.

In
another case, DeLapp was accused of jailing a woman for four days after she
apparently left sunflower seeds on the courtroom floor and bench. He then
allegedly required her to return to court 20 more times over the next 2½ years.

About Matt

An analysis of crime and punishment from the perspective of a former prosecutor and current criminal justice practitioner.
The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or postions of any county, state or federal agency.